OVERKILL: THE AILEEN WUORNOS STORY
US, 1992, 95 minutes, Colour.
Jean Smart, Park Overall.
Directed by Peter Levin.
Overkill: the Aileen Wuornos Story was produced soon after Aileen Wuornos's arrest and condemnation by the Florida courts to execution. At the same time, English documentary maker Nick Broomfield made a documentary study of Aileen Wuornos, her life and background, her crimes. Aileen Wuornos was to be on Death Row for eleven years before her execution in 2002. At the time of her death, Nick Broomfield made a subsequent film about Aileen Wuornos and her time in prison. After her death, Patty Jenkins made the feature film based on her life, Monster, starring Charlize Theron who won an Oscar for her portrayal of the serial killer. Many of the sequences in Overkill resemble those in Monster.
Jean Smart gives a strong performance as Aileen Wuornos, made up to resemble her. Park Overall is her true-life companion - fictionalised in the role played by Christina Ricci in Monster.
The film focuses not only on Aileen Wuornos, with flashbacks about her character, her relationship with her friend and her attacks on her customers, her motivation for killing them, but spends a lot of time showing the various police officers, the detection, the work done to apprehend her.
1. The notoriety of Aileen Wuornos? In the United States, in Florida? In her time? The 80s and her killings? The 90s and her imprisonment, the documentaries made about her, her execution in 2002? The interpretation of her life by Charlize Theron in Monster?
2. The film based on a true story, using the names of the characters? The portrayal of Aileen, her relationships, her crimes, detection?
3. The portrait of Aileen Wuornos: the flashbacks to her background, the brutality of her father, the taking of her child, her early prostitution? Her work as a prostitute on the highways of Florida? The scenes with her customers? Their violence and aggression? Her killing them, her vengeance? The film explaining her motivation?
4. Her relationship with Tyra? The lesbian relationship, Tyra and her dependence, Aileen and her dependence on Tyra? The visit of Tyra's sister, the criticism? Their life together, money, the outings - and Aileen spending the money? Tyra's sister's criticisms and Aileen's response? Tyra and her fears when they were seen in sketches on television, her leaving, her testimony against Aileen?
5. The portrayal of the police, the various experts, seeing them at work, interrogations, discussions, on the scene of the crime? The chief detective and his intensity, relentlessness in tracking Aileen Wuornos down?
6. A case study in crime, serial killing? Police work? A portrait of a woman and an attempt to explain her background, her motivation and what led her to become a notorious serial killer?
